Lipscomb was ranked 181 of the 311 institutions in the category. Lipscomb joined the ranks of the nation’s top universities last year when it was reclassified from the Regional Universities-South category to a Carnegie Foundation doctoral university, and placed among only seven percent of schools in the nation.

The “Best National Universities” category consists of 190 public, 114 private and seven for-profit institutions, “that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master’s and doctoral degrees.” There are two tiers in this listing, and Lipscomb is ranked in the first tier, which puts it in a group of elite institutions such as Princeton, Harvard, the University of Chicago, Yale, Columbia, Stanford, Duke and Notre Dame.

“Being classified as a national university is a reflection of the great growth and vision we have had as an institution over the last 12 years to add a number of doctoral and graduate programs that meet the needs not only of our students but of our communities,” said L. Randolph Lowry, Lipscomb University president. “It is a result of being intentional in creating a community that is innovative, relevant and caring and that is impacting the lives of our students in profound ways.”

Lipscomb is one of only four universities in Tennessee ranked in the top-tier of the national list. Other institutions from Tennessee included in the top-tier national universities list are Vanderbilt, the University of Tennessee and Union University.

Last week, Lipscomb University officials announced its third-highest enrollment for a fall semester in university history with 4,585 students. Enrollment numbers will continue to grow throughout the semester as undergraduate and graduate program cohorts are added over the next few months. Lipscomb’s innovative programs offer students a variety of entry points throughout the semester to meet the needs of its students.

For the second consecutive year Lipscomb reached a new milestone as nearly one-fourth— 23 percent — of the student body, including undergraduate and graduate students, come from a diverse background including different countries, races and ethnicities. This is a one percent increase from last year. In addition, transfer retention and sophomore to junior retention rates have set new institutional records. In addition, the number of new undergraduate and graduate students is up. Several graduate programs are also boasting record enrollments this fall.

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Lipscomb University is a Carnegie Foundation doctoral university that offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees in more than 180 fields of academic study. The university and its programs have been ranked among the top in the nation. For the third year in a row, Lipscomb University was named to the Kiplinger Personal Finance list of 100 best values in private universities. Other recent recognition includes its School of Music, housed in the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts, being recognized as one of the country’s top 25 programs by SuccessfulStudent.org; the College of Business's accounting program named the No. 2 in the nation and top in Tennessee in Christian Universities Online’s Top 10 Christian Accounting Degree Programs 2017 ranking; and the athletics program earning its fourth consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference Academic Champion Trophy presented to the school in the league with the highest percentage of student-athletes that have claimed a 3.0 grade-point average or higher.